Detailed tracking and reporting results record profits

Cannon Services, owned by James Cannon, is a plumbing and heating firm that primarily deals with the domestic market. In the following story, James tell us how simPRO has given him a clear and detailed picture of the financial health of his business, and more.

Reports in detail

In 2016, Cannon Services achieved record net profits – James attributes this to the fact that he and his team can track and report on everything they need to through simPRO.

As businesses grow, so too does the need for key decision makers to understand the business' financial data.

“We can track and report everything that we need to do through simPRO.” James Cannon. Managing Director, Cannon Services UK.

It can take time to search, filter, output and analyse reports, but simPRO makes it a breeze.

With simPRO, James can drill down to the pennies and look at the financial reports in granular detail.

Back to basics

James has let go of the reins on the service side of the business, handing it over to an existing manager. This means that James can give his attention to strategic tasks, which, at the moment, includes building a new commercial arm of the business. Building something from scratch then handing it over to be managed by another is something that James enjoys doing.

Having processes in place has meant that James has the ability to build the commercial side of the business. Business development is the part James enjoys most.

simPRO for trade service companies large or small

We asked James what he likes about simPRO. He suggests simPRO is ideal for any trade service company no matter what size, providing simple field service management to a full-blown business management tool with detailed reporting capability.

Even when considering Cannon’s projected growth, James says:

“I can’t see a point where simPRO won’t work for my company on its current progression.”

Smaller business with up to around five engineers can use simPRO simply just for the scheduling functionality to manage engineers in the field. As the business grows, users can choose to take advantage of even more features. Even after years of using simPRO, users still discover new features they can use to become even more efficient.

Customer service and initial impressions

Cannon Services office staff are well trained and professional, and their field engineers are in uniform with signwritten vans. This all goes toward making a good first impression.

“Good customer service is key.”

No matter how big or small a job, each job is double-checked for quality and execution and the company sends a customer survey out afterwards to gauge what customers think of their service.

“As you grow, it becomes increasingly difficult to compete on price alone, so often it comes down to making sure you offer outstanding value for money,” James says. “It’s about picking the right customers and the right customers picking you.”

This professionalism is backed by simPRO. In the field, the staff have tablets equipped with all the information they need.

Cannon Services are also carrying out trials for simPRO Payments to complete the customer experience in the field.

In the following interview, James shares how he’s growing the commercial arm of the business while setting his sights on record profits.